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My husband and I have always known that adoption would be a part of our family. After having three biological children, we felt God leading us to adopt a son from Guatemala. We began what seemed like the endless chore of gathering paperwork, all the while praying for our sweet blessing, never knowing if he was yet born or not.
Our biggest obstacle was simply a financial one. We homeschool all of our children and therefore live off of one salary. To be able to save enough to bring Benjamin home would have taken us until our other three were out of college.
On April 29, 2005 I felt a strong stirring in my spirit to pray for our future son. I had no idea why. All I knew was that God was urging me to pray. I wrote the prayer down, pleading for his safety, his biological mother’s safety, and Divine grace for him. I closed my prayer book and the next day continued on with new devotionals, new prayers…
Two months later we received the call from our adoption agency stating that there was a little boy in Guatemala City waiting for us. His name was Benjamin. We had planned on naming our new son John but found out that Benjamin literally means, "son from the south". We knew that God had already named our son for us.
I remember the day that I stopped at our mailbox and pulled out the envelope with our acceptance letter enclosed. Before I ever even opened it, I thanked God for His provision for our son, knowing that no matter what the answer enclosed in the envelope revealed, he was taken care of. But, boy! Did I do a happy praise dance all the way home from that mailbox that day! Now that I look back, I see the difference that Shaohannah's Hope made in my outlook on the overall adoption experience. I discovered that, yes, there were other people out there concerned for the children and for truly making a difference for Christ. It is you guys who make what we do possible as parents. Without other brothers and sisters as yourselves, many children would not come to know the Gospel.
Finally it was time to go and get Benjamin. His foster mother handed him over to us with a smile and a small necklace. When I asked her what it meant, she replied "God’s blessings on Benjamin." She kept referring to Benjamin as "The Miracle Baby." We assumed that they talked about each child in this manner. We wept as the woman who had cared for our son for six months walked out of the hotel lobby.
While finishing the details on the adoption, our facilitator asked us, “Do you want to know why they called Benjamin the ‘Miracle Baby’?” She told us that his birth mother already had five other children to care for, no job, and no husband. After giving birth to a tiny four-pound boy, she struggled with whether to simply leave him. Upon learning of the delivery, several of the older ladies in the community rushed to stop her from throwing her baby away. They told her that they would help make sure that he was put into a good home and cared for. She named the tiny body she held in her arms Benjamin.
What a miracle for this child to survive! Born at only four pounds with no hospital, no neonatal care, no incubators.... Only the love of a godly foster mother who kept him warm sustained this little miracle.
Barry and I were in complete awe. Thanks be to the Father of Lights from whom all blessings flow, who is a Father to the fatherless and sets the orphans in families. Sometime after that first week home, I turned to that prayer God prompted on April 29. I sat in the living room with tears streaming down my face as I realized that Benjamin was born only hours later on April 30.
Thank you seems almost so superficial, so inadequate. When someone gives to Shaohannah's Hope, they are giving life to a child.  Not just a better life according to our American standards, but according to the abundant life in John 10:10 that Jesus died to give us. Giving to Shaohannah’s Hope is like building a bridge across a deep ravine that no one can cross. On one side is grace, safety, love, and eternal life and on the other side lies only doubts, fear, and darkness. Thank you from a family whose son, Benjamin, is no longer on the wrong side of the bridge.
Yes, we did name him Benjamin, but his full first name is John Benjamin. John means "God is gracious", and our family knows from first hand experience that He still works miracles. One lives in our home.
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